Carboy container



Aug. 28, 1945.

0. FISHER CARBOY CONTAINER Filed Nov. 7; 1942 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

dam r FIB/tar Y array/VH5 Patented Aug. 28, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARBOY CONTAINER Oscar Fisher, Locust Valley, N. Y.

Application November 7, 1942, Serial No. 464,924

8 Claims.

This invention relates to carboy containers and particularly to an improved form of box'for receiving a large bottle and protecting it against breakage by shock or impact during transportation, storage and use.

Boxes of the types heretofore used in carboys have been constructed and arranged to include cushioning means bearing against and supporting the bottles in spaced relation to the sides, top and bottom of the box. The cushioning means have taken many different forms, such as resilient slats, cork pads, and the like, which are used to absorb shock and reduce the tendency of the bottle to break when the carboy is dropped or subjected toimpact.

All .of these prior boxes have one characteristic in common, namely, that the cushioning means engage the bottles at spaced apart lines or spots. With this type of cushioning vmeans, any shocks caused by dropping r subjecting the carboy to impact are concentrated at a few widely spaced spots or lines, with the result that the forces at these points may besufliciently great to break the bottle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle for a bottle which distributes shocks over a wide area at the zones of reater strength of the bottleand thereby reduces the forces to which any zone or part of the bottle is subjected.

Another object of the invention is to provide carboy'boxes that support the bottles resiliently over a wide surface area and thus, by distributing shock or impact, prevent breakage of the bottles.

-A further object of the invention is to provide carboy boxes that support the bottles resiliently to decelerate movement of the bottles under shock or impact and prevent concentration of the forces set up by shock, impact or the inertia of the bottle.

An additional object of the'invention is to pro-' vide carboy boxes that are capable of flexing to absorb shock or impact and thereby reduce the forces acting directly on the bottle.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a typical embodiment of the invention.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided a box formed of any suitable type of material such as, for example, wood, plywood, plastics, metal or any desired combination of the same, in which the top and bottom are provided with a plurality of arcuate members adapted to engage and receive the top and the bottom of a bottle throughout substantially its entire circumference. The top, bottom and side panels of the box preferably are somewhat resilient so that they can fiex slightlyunder impact to absorbshock. s is,

More particularly, the'arcuate members whic support the bottle may be formed of resilient material, such as wood, and are arranged to form, in efifect, cantilever constructions secured to the bottom and top of the box which are capable of giving under shock or impact. These members are sufficiently resistant to distortion to prevent the bottle from coming in contact with the walls of the box. Moreover, their relationship to the remainder of the box is such that they form a resilient suspension for the bottle in which the side, top and bottom panels of the box act as springs to cushion the relative movements of the box and the bottle. The'arcuate members are of such width that the forces exerted on the box and the bottle by shock or impact are distributed over relatively wide zones at the top and bottom of the bottle where the bottle is strongest and thereby prevent a concentration of forces in small areas or spots at the weaker portions of the bottle.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be ha to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a typical form of carboy box embodying the present invention, with the cover removed;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the cover for the box;

Figure 3 is a view in cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a view in cross-section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 throughv a corner of the box.

The form of carboy box chosen for purposes of illustration includes fourcorner rails ii] formed of square stock having chamferedinner and outer edges and in which are mortised the four side panels ll of the box. The upper edges of the panels II and the upper ends of the corner rails ID are secured to top rails l3 Which have their ends mitered and secured together in any suitable way such as, for example, by means of glued dowels M. The upper edges of the panels ll may be received in mortises in the top rails l3. The top rails I3 are provided with inner rabbeted edges 13a within which the top I5 is received. The top rails l3 and corner rails l6 project outwardly beyond the side panels H and thereby tend to shield the panels I i from direct impact. Inasmuch as these panels -I I are protected to a certain extent, they can be formed of thinner and more J consist of a generally square panel [6 fitting snugly Within the open top of the box and resting in the rabbeted edges (3a of the top rails IS. The panel I6 is provided with a central hole I! for receiving the neck of a bottle B, as shown particularly in Figure 3.

Projecting downwardly from the panel iii are a plurality of arcuate members l8 forming a substantially annular flange for receiving the upper portion of the bottle. The ends of the arcuate members I 8 are spacedapart in order to'permit them to give slightly under impact caused, for example, by dropping of the carboy. Each of the arcuate members I8 is secured to I the top panel l6 by means of an outer corner'block' 19 having a concave inner face 19a: abutting the outer surface of the arcuate member and being secured as by gluing to the inner surface of the panel IS. The outer edges IQ?) of the block t9 abut the inner edges of the rails l3 when the corher. is applied. A secondi'block Zl'l having a convex outer face 20a and an inclined inner face 213?) is secured to the undersurface' ofithei panel and to the inner surface of the arcu'ateimenrber" |:8.1 Each of the blocks i9"and:-2ll is ofl'ess'height:thansthe:

arcuatemember 8 so thata substantial portion of the arcuate member is: unsupported and, there-- fore, can flex slightly.

The topdescribed abovema-y be detaohably' secured to the box by means: of screwsuor 'other fastenings extending throughzthe. top railsi l3ri-ntos the corner blocks: [:51- i a .The bottom of the box may be formeda-ofi a. square panel 2! which is mortised into:the corneir rails Hi and secured thereto and to the side panelsby means of strips 22 disposed within thepanelsi ti *(Fig. 3). If desiredthe bottomoft the boxmay be provided with ski'd raiis 2 3 'on'two oppositeisides thereof for taking. the wear *on the box caused by sliding it along the floor or the like; Supported on the bottom panel 21" area series-l of four arcuate members; 24' arranged: similarlyto the arcuate members: il'on the top oi the box. The members 24 are secured toe thepanel: Zlzabyx means of corner blocks 25 securedrtothevbottom;

panel 2|. Each of the blocks 25 'is provided: with a concave inner face 25a fittingthe'arcuate mem ber 24 snugly and being secured:theretotby gluemr I in any other suitable way. Theouter'surf-acew 25b of the block 25 abuts against the side panels H and the corner'railst l0 so that outward shifting movement of the arcuate members: 24' is prevented. Within the arcuate members 24 and" supported in spaced relationship to the bottom panelv 2+ is a disc-like panel 26 which is supported at its edges only and therefore has limited resiliency.- The panel 2-6 may be supported by a plurality of arcuate elements 2-! (Figs. 3 and 4*) which are-securedin abutting relationship: to the elements-24' and to the bottom panel 2| or the container. -As illustrated in Figure 4,- thearcuate members- 2!- may be of less length than the. arcuate members The arcuate supporting members 24- have free edges projecting upwardly to receive the bottom resiliency,

The construction described above has the advantage that the bottle B, as illustrated in Figure 3, is supported throughout substantially its entire. circumference and throughout a relatively wide zone at the top and bottom where the bottle is inherently the strongest. With this arrangement, even when the filled bottle weighs one hundred or more pounds, as is often the case, any impact on the box will be distributed over such a wide area of the bottle at zones that are'best suited to resist breakage that no part of thebottle is subjected to forces sulficient to cause breakage of the bottle. In addition to the cushioning efiect of the arcuate flanges l8 and 24, the side and end panels of thebox, also, absorb shocksby their inherent For example, when the carboy is dropped on its side, the bottle B tends to shift to the underside. As a result, the arcuate members i-8- and 24, in the direction of movement of the Similarly, if the carboy isdropped onitsbot encounteredin the handling or suchcarboyst Inaddition, the arrangement of the? supporting members for the bottle-is such that forces in subs stantiallyany direction will "be-resisted resiliently by the supporting elements and-the bottle cannot be thrown against the sidesof the box and thus. broken by direct impact with the box.

From the foregoing. description of a typical form of box embodying the present-invention-',. it." will be apparent, that I have: provided-a2 simple,

yet highly efiective, type of carboyi box'whiclft is; capable? of afiordingmaximum protection. to. the, bottle therein.

It will be understood that my carboy box is susceptible to considerabl modification. in structural details, for example, in the shape'and; size".

of the box, the manner'in whichthe-outerpanels and corners of the boxes are-constructedand in.

the manner in which the arcuate supporting.

members therein are securedto. and supported within the box." .Therefore-,,theembodimen-t'ot the invention chosen for purposes of illustration should be considered as.- illustrative; only; and not;

as limiting the scope'of the following; claims.

I claim:

1. An. individual carboycontainer comprising a-box having resilient sides, a resilient. bottom and a removable top, a plurality ofspaced. a-rcuate members having; lower portions secured to the bottom of said-box'and having. free upper edges, said spaced arcuate members defining-the circumference of a circlehaving. its. center substantially members having upper edges securedwto said top and-gfree lower' endsprojecting, downwardly into x said box, said spaced arcuate members defining the circumference of a circle having its center substantially at the center of the top of the box and being adapted to receive and engage said bottle throughout a zone of substantial width.

2. In a carboy container, the sub-combination of a bottom for the container, a plurality of arcuate members secured to said bottom in a ring to receive and engage the sides of a bottle, a circular panel within said arcuate members and in spaced relation to said bottom for supporting said bottle, and means supporting said panel at its edges to permit said panel to flex under impact.

3. In a carboy container, the sub-combination of an end panel for the container, a plurality of arcuate members secured to said panel in a, ring and forming the major portion of the circumference of the ring, and means of less height than said arcuate members engaging the inner and outer surfaces of said members for securing said members to said panel, the remaining. portion of said members being free and engageable resiliently with the sides of a bottle.

4. In a carboy container, the sub-combination of an end panel for the container, a plurality of spaced arcuate resilient members on said panel arranged in a ring to receive and engage the sides of a bottle, means of less height than said resilient members secured to said panel and engaging the inner and outer surfaces of said members to rigidify the portions of said members adjacent said panel and leave the outer portions of said members unsupported and free to engage resiliently the sides of a bottle, and means within said ring for supporting said bottle resiliently in spaced relation to said end panel.

5. In a carboy container, the sub-combination of an end panel for the container, a plurality of spaced arcuate resilient members on said panel arranged in a ring to receive and engage the sides of a bottle, means of less height than said resilient members secured to said panel and engaging the inner and outer surfaces of said members to rigidify the portions of said members adjacent said panel and leave the outer portions of said members unsupported and free to engage re siliently the sides of a bottle, and a resilient panel within said arcuate members for supporting said bottle, said resilient panel being supported at its in the inner edges of said top rails forming shoulders for receiving said top, bottom rails secured to the lower edges of said panels and said corner rails, said bottom comprising a panel disposed within said side panels and mortised into said corner rails, and means on said top and said bottom panel for engaging the periphery of a bottle at spaced apart zones of substantial Width extending around the major portion of the periphery of said bottle.

7. A carboy container comprising a box having resilient ends and sides, a plurality of spaced cantilever members secured to each end of said box with their free ends extending inwardly and engageable with the circumference of a cylindricalbottle, adjacent the opposite ends thereof, and means for resiliently supporting the bottom of the bottle in raised position-with respect to the bottom of said box, said raised means cooperating with said cantilever means in supporting said bottle in spaced relationship to the ends and sides of said box and in transmitting thrusts due .to movements of said bottle to the ends and sides of said box to cause them yieldingly to resist said relative movements.

8. A carboy container comprising a box having relatively rigid top, bottom and corner rails, resilient panels secured to said rails forming the top, bottom and sides of said box, spaced cantilever means in said box supported on the top and bottom panels respectively in spaced apart relationship for engaging spaced apart areas of the surface of said bottle and thereby maintaining said bottle in spaced relation to said corner rails and the sides of said box, said means resisting relative movement of said bottle and said box and transmitting relative movement of said'bOX and bottle under impact to said side, top and bottom panels to cause them to flex and absorb at least a portion of said impact,

' OSCAR FISHER. 

